


Bad Habit

by morganofthewildfire



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morganofthewildfire/pseuds/morganofthewildfire
Summary: Sometimes it’s too much. High school. Life. Everything. Aelin Galathynius thought it would be the solution, a simple fix to make her feel better, get the weight off of her chest. But when she gets in too deep, can she get herself out? Or is it too late to do it on her own?
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien & Rowan Whitethorn, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Chaol Westfall, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue/Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I got originally from tumblr. It started as a bad boy au but it’s transitioned just a bit into something else. I hope you enjoy!

Aelin had five minutes. Five minutes before her friends came looking for her. Five minutes of peace. Five minutes to smoke the cigarette that had been calling her name all day.

She knew smoking was a bad habit, knew it would rot her teeth and ruin her lungs, but she craved the freedom from anxiety each cigarette gave her. It was a secret she had kept well hidden. If her friends knew, gods if her dad knew, she would be in a shit ton of trouble.

And if the principal found her now, smoking outside during her lunch break, she would be suspended without a doubt. A fear that usually kept her from doing it at school, but not today. It was the anniversary of Sam’s death, and she needed the smoke to calm her down.

Which was how Aelin found herself ditching her friends and heading out to the designated smoking spot underneath the bleachers, frequented by the “bad kids” of Adarlan High.

Aelin wouldn’t exactly call herself one of the good kids at the school, but she was in no way associated with the bad ones. Lorcan Salvaterre, Fenrys Moonbeam, and Gavriel Leons, to name a few, were all kids who you could regularly count on to be in trouble. She skirted the rules, but stayed far away from the certainly illegal things they did. Although she supposed she fit in with them more than she thought given her current circumstance.

“Those are bad for you, you know,” a voice from behind her said, making her jump and whip her head around. Her eyes widened as she took in the form of Rowan Whitethorn staring back at her. Rowan Whitethorn was the worst of them, had gotten suspended more times than she could count and was certainly on his way to expulsion, but he was also the handsomest. With his short silver hair, tan skin, and piercing dark green eyes, he was basically her dream man. In looks, not personality.

“A bit hypocritical of you, don’t you think?” Aelin said in response, gesturing to his own unlit cigarette held loosely in his left hand. He chuckled slightly and nodded his head in agreement.

“Fair enough, but I figured I could warn you before you got in too deep. First time smoking?” He asked. She rolled her eyes and expertly flipped open her lighter, before efficiently lifting it to her cigarette and catching the end, the ease of it displaying her experience.

Rowan’s eyebrows shot up before he chuckled again, incredulously this time. 

“Aelin Galathynius, a serial smoker,” his eyes flicked up and down her body, “I certainly wouldn’t have guessed it.” She glanced up in shock, meeting his eyes, but before she could question how he knew her name, he walked off, dropping his still unlit cigarette in the trash as he went.


	2. Part 2

The next time she crossed paths with Rowan was at a party after one of their school’s many football games. Aelin had never understood the hype about football, never went to go watch any of it, but she never missed the parties.

They were always at various seniors’ houses, depending on whose parents were out of town or whose parents knew and just didn’t care. She wouldn’t and couldn’t ever host one of her own, but she was present without fail every single week.

The oblivion they offered, whether in the form of alcohol or whatever various drugs people snuck in, was too much of a temptation to pass up. Smoking was her main vice, but it wasn’t her only option.

This particular friday, Aelin was dressed to impress, with a strappy dark green tank top and a tight mini skirt, paired with heeled boots. But her mood was sour as she stormed up the driveway, accompanied by her best friend Lysandra.

Lysandra didn’t normally come to the parties, having had trouble at one a few months prior that made her nervous to go again, but she had insisted on coming tonight. Aelin figured it was because of the crush she knew Lys had on one of the football players, but she was too distracted by the fact that she would be there to question why she had decided to come.

Lysandra didn’t know. Was ignorant to the drugs, the drinking, the cigarettes. And Aelin was determined to keep it that way. Which meant she would have to be careful to not raise any suspicion tonight. Drinking was fine, because Lys would too, but she would have to stay away from the weed and other substances, and she couldn’t smoke, which was probably the hardest of all. The last cigarette she had smoked was a few hours ago, after school, and the craving was already hitting hard.

Of course, the charade would be easier if she didn’t rely on these things in the first place, but she was in too deep to stop now.

The music was blaring as they stepped into the house, bodies packed into the main room. Lysandra immediately started socializing, darting around and saying hi to everyone she recognized, but Aelin just went to the kitchen and searched for a drink. 

That was where she found him.

Rowan was leaning against the counter, a blonde girl pressed against his side trying to get his attention. He didn’t look particularly entertained, and was practically ignoring her and holding a conversation with some other people nearby, but that didn’t dissuade her apparently. The girl,  _ Remelle _ if Aelin remembered properly, ran her fingers flirtatiously up his arm and across his shoulder, but he just casually shook her hand off by lifting that same arm to take a sip of his drink.

Aelin snorted and walked around them, heading toward one of the coolers set up around the room. She grabbed a beer off the top of one of them, pulling it out and shutting the lid. Beer wasn’t her preferred drink, but she didn’t feel like digging around to find something else. Taste didn’t really matter that much to her anyway, it made no difference in the end.

“Something funny?” Remelle asked, voice spitting venom. Aelin glanced over, and found both Remelle and Rowan’s eyes on her. Apparently her snort had been louder than she thought. Oops.

“No, not at all,” she replied, mock innocently. Rowan raised his eyebrows, a small smirk playing at the edges of his mouth, but Remelle just narrowed her eyes more.

Aelin popped the lid off her bottle and took a long sip as she shouldered past them, not missing the “bitch” that was muttered from Remelle as she passed. She stumbled over her next step, but quickly recovered, pushing through the crowd to head outside. She needed the cool air.

Normally, Aelin wasn’t very prone to letting petty insults get to her. But this particular situation brought back a very specific memory. It was how her and Sam had finally gotten together, after months of dancing around each other. They had been at a party, not unlike this one, and a creepy senior had been hitting on her. She had been a sophomore at the time. When she kept denying his advances, he had called her a bitch. But unfortunately for him, Sam had overhead and promptly punched him, for insulting her and for making her so uncomfortable.

Aelin had wrapped up his split knuckles, thanked him for defending her, and then kissed him. The event had led to months of pure bliss, and a relationship that got cut too short.

When she finally got out the backdoor, she found that the fresh air didn’t help as much as she thought. Her hands were trembling, and her anxiety was kicking in, making her breaths unsteady and her panic begin to rise. She needed a cigarette. Needed a hit of nicotine to indulge her craving and hopefully calm her down.

She ripped open her small clutch, frantically trying to find her pack of cigarettes that she practically brought everywhere, but the box was not there. Aelin fell to the grass, turning her bag upside down and dumping everything out. The contents spilled onto the ground and she only saw her wallet, her phone, and her lighter. No smokes.

She felt her throat tighten and her shaking become more pronounced. A panic attack. She was slipping into a panic attack. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, and she braced herself on the grass to avoid falling completely over. The noise from inside seemed muffled as all her senses focused inward, completely overtaken.

“Aelin?” she heard from behind her, a deep voice that she vaguely recognized. Rowan. It was Rowan.

Rowan, who might have his own pack of cigarettes. Instead of thinking about why he was out here, her brain narrowed in on that fact, and she shot up from her place on the ground, turning around and practically falling into him.

“I need a cigarette,” Aelin demanded, still breathless. Rowan looked a little alarmed, but pulled out a box from his jeans pocket and handed her one. Once it passed from his hand into hers, she fell back to the ground and snatched her lighter up, hurriedly flicking it open and catching the end of the cigarette.

As soon as the smoke entered her lungs, she took a deep breath, already feeling herself calming down. The familiarity of the nicotine was soothing, and she closed her eyes, focusing on that.

After a few minutes, though, she was shaken from her state by another familiar voice calling out her name. 

_ Fuck.  _ Lysandra couldn’t see her with this. 

Aelin quickly put out the cigarette and dropped it on the ground. But the smell of the smoke lingered and she nervously tried to think of a solution.

Rowan still stood by her side, for some reason she couldn’t think of, but she just turned to him, an idea sparking. 

“Kiss me,” she said hurriedly, and the shock in his green eyes was almost comical, “I smell like smoke and she can’t know what I was doing. If she sees us kissing she’ll think the scent came from you.” Aelin latched onto his arms and tried her best to be convincing.

Rowan hesitated, clearly unsure about the request, but he nodded soon enough, and she immediately pounced, catching him by surprise again.

His lips were surprisingly soft against hers, and she moaned slightly as his tongue reached out and parted her lips, slipping into her mouth. His hands settled on her hips and her nerves were set aflame as he brushed against the bit of exposed skin at her waist. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck, holding him to her as their mouths moved together, the feeling like nothing she had felt before. Aelin had kissed plenty of people, but nobody had kissed her like this.

“Aelin?” she heard again, from much closer than before, and she reluctantly pulled away from Rowan, immediately missing his warmth. 

Lysandra’s eyes were wide as she glanced between the two of them, but she didn’t comment as she continued. “Can you drive me home?” she asked. Rowan stepped away and lifted a hand in farewell as he wandered back inside. Aelin pressed a shaking hand to her lips, still tingling from the heated kiss. “My parents texted, and they’re coming back tonight instead of tomorrow, and I’m supposed to be home right now.”

Aelin nodded and Lys took that as answer enough, heading to the side of the house to avoid having to go back through the crowded inside.

Sooner than Aelin realized, they were back in the car and she was driving down the street, heading to drop Lys off. She was still so dazed she didn’t even hear the radio that her best friend was fidgeting with, and almost missed what she said next.

“Gods, why do they all have to smoke so much?” Lysandra said, judgement clear in her voice. “I can smell it on you. And speaking of that, don’t think I’m not going to ask you about  _ that  _ later.” 

A small sigh of relief slipped from her lips. Her plan had worked. Lys didn’t see through it. She guessed they had been convincing. The smell could’ve easily transferred from him with how wrapped up in each other they were. But despite the kiss being just a ploy, Aelin couldn’t help wanting to kiss him again.


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally meant to post this the other day, oops.

Aelin scowled as she shoved open the library doors after school. Tutoring. Fuck tutoring _.  _ In Math nonetheless, which made it ten times worse. 

Math had never been her favorite, but she always did well enough, getting A’s or B’s on the regular. Currently, though, she had an F.  _ An F.  _ She had never failed a class before, but it was looking like it was heading that way. 

She knew why. Math was her fifth period, which meant it was almost five hours after her morning cigarette, and the craving was always the worst then, the most desperate she was before she could get another one during her lunch break, a now daily occurrence instead of what was supposed to be a one time thing.

Basically her focus went to shit, and now she had no idea what she was even supposed to be learning. Her brain was too preoccupied with her body’s lack of nicotine to think about parabolas or limits or whatever the fuck she was supposed to know for pre-calc.

Tutoring was necessary, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.

When she wandered over to the table she was supposed to be going to, Aelin gave her tutor a once over. Not too tall, but definitely taller than her, short brown hair, light brown eyes. He was fairly handsome, but the look of disapproval on his face shut down any of those thoughts quickly. 

Who was he to judge her for needing tutoring? He didn’t know why she was failing. For all he knew, she could have issues at home. She wasn’t a delinquent.

Aelin scowled as she pulled out the chair and sat down roughly, tossing her backpack on the ground next to her.

“I’m your tutor, Chaol Westfall,” the boy said, sticking his hand out to shake hers. She just looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Who shook hands like that?

“How long is this going to take?” was all she replied with. It had only been two hours, but the cravings were already hitting again. She took a deep breath, hoping to stave it off.

“We’ll get started after Whitethorn gets here,” he said, pulling out a textbook and ignoring her question at the same time.  _ Whitethorn.  _ She was tutoring with Rowan?

Aelin huffed a sigh. This whole situation was going to be extremely awkward. They hadn’t seen each other or spoken since that party a few weeks back. When she kissed him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a second backpack being slammed down next to her, the chair being pulled at just as roughly as hers had been.

“Let’s get this over with,” was all Rowan said, sighing through his nose. He didn’t even look at her. It hurt more than she thought it would.

Sure they didn’t know each other, but he had helped her out that night, was the only one who knew of her habit, maybe it made her naive but she thought things would be different between them.

Maybe she was getting her hopes mixed up with her expectations.

She clenched her jaw, but couldn’t stop herself from glancing over at him, eyes immediately drawn to his lips.

Gods she still could feel the taste of his mouth on hers, the warmth that shot through her whole body at just the memory of his touch.

It confused her why he was even here. She wasn’t surprised that he was failing, but she figured he would have ditched the required tutoring. But he seemed to be like this. Would tell a teacher to fuck off and get suspended one week, and then show up to tutoring and cooperate with the administrators the next. He was riding a fine line between rebellion and expulsion, and Aelin wondered how long it would take before he fell to the other side.

—————-

After an hour and a half of torturous studying, made worse by the awkward presence of Rowan and the horribly boring presence of Chaol, Aelin was finally free.

She had made it out to the parking lot first, lighting up a smoke next to her car. The smell would probably still be lingering when she got home, but she knew her dad would still be at work so she didn’t exactly have to worry about him finding out. He was always working, which only made it easier for her.

Rowan rushed out close behind her, and she only hesitated a second before calling out to him.

“Wait!” She yelled, catching his attention. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to her, but she could at least give him a cigarette to make up for the one she took.

“What,” he said flatly, eyebrow raised. The sunlight caught in his hair, momentarily distracting her, but she shook her head and pulled out her pack again.

“Here,” she said, pulling one out and handing it to him, avoiding eye contact, “for the one I used the other week.” Rowan looked impatient, as if ready to run out of there as quick as possible, but took the cigarette from her and pocketed it, giving her a little head nod before darting off to his own car.

Aelin couldn’t help but scowl, annoyed and a little disappointed at his obvious desire to get away from her. She took a drag of her cigarette, staring after him as he drove away. But she was interrupted by the clearing of a throat behind her, causing her to whirl around and stare into the face of her tutor.

Aelin quickly hid the evidence behind her back, hoping that he somehow hadn’t seen it. Luckily, he didn’t comment, although it would surprise her if his sharp eyes hadn’t noticed.

“Umm,” he started off, voice sounding somewhat nervous which had her eyebrows raising, “I was wondering if you would like to get dinner or something with me sometime.”

What?

It didn’t make sense in her brain, still foggy from the nicotine. He didn’t like her. He was judging her throughout the whole session. But he was asking her out?

Chaol took her silence as refusal and began retracting his statement, but she cut him off with a hasty “sure”. She was feeling better now, her head much lighter and airier, maybe she’d give him a second chance. She didn’t really remember why she didn’t like him in the first place, couldn’t remember what he did to make her frown when she thought of him, so why not try again?

He just smiled and walked away, leaving her alone yet again to just stare after him.

Soon, though, the lightness in her head traveled to the rest of her body and she felt a little sick, too ungrounded from reality. She pulled out another cigarette and lit it, huffing out some smoke which instantly calmed her down.

She refused to acknowledge that it took two this time.


End file.
